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Cisco Cloud Services Router vs MikroTik Cloud Router Switch comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 29, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Cloud Services Router
Ranking in Routers
7th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch
Ranking in Routers
5th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
Ethernet Switches (17th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Routers category, the mindshare of Cisco Cloud Services Router is 4.8%, up from 3.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is 8.0%, up from 7.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Routers Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
MikroTik Cloud Router Switch8.0%
Cisco Cloud Services Router4.8%
Other87.2%
Routers
 

Featured Reviews

VENKATESHREDDY - PeerSpot reviewer
Associate IT Director at Diligent Global
Manageable, provides excellent support, and easily integrates with other products
One central area for improvement in Cisco is its product line offering. Cisco has ISE and other products, such as DNS Center and other components. Instead of small to medium-sized customers purchasing devices and maintaining the devices, it would be great if customers could have subscriptions. A CAPEX/OPEX model instead of that Cisco code, where the pricing model is subscription-based, would give much better flexibility for the customers. The pricing and model for Cisco Cloud Services Router and other Cisco products could be improved. One good example of what I want to be added to the Cisco Cloud Services Router in its next version is for it to be more of a plug-and-play product. For example, Juniper has developed QR codes, so if you need to plug in a device, you scan from your phone and connect to the internet. That's it. You can provision the device remotely through the cloud orchestrator, so I want to see a similar function or feature in Cisco Cloud Services Router.
Andriejus Artamonovas - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Specialist at a outsourcing company with 501-1,000 employees
Has supported deeper configuration through traffic mirroring and advanced VLAN setup
The main reason why MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is usually chosen is its raw performance to price ratio. In comparison to UniFi switches, MikroTik Cloud Router Switch can mirror all ports for traffic inspection for further traffic analysis, which UniFi cannot do. VLANs in MikroTik Cloud Router Switch are always useful. The way MikroTik implements VLAN-aware switching at the bridge level is hidden in the configuration. Making CRS work as a simple VLAN-aware switch requires deeper configuration, which is not intuitive. VLANs support individual interfaces not part of the bridge, allowing for double VLANing. You can create a VLAN interface in the interfaces context and also create a bridge interface, add physical ports, create VLANs for that bridge interface, and assign tagged and untagged ports and VLANs. Load balancing is one of the key components. The feature itself is quite efficient and works reliably on MikroTik Cloud Router Switch. The very basic setup is one of my favorites because they have their protocol where I can connect through the MAC address right on Layer 2, and I don't lose connectivity to the switch if I mess up with bridging or IP addressing.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"It seems pretty stable. We have never had any issues with it."
"Overall, it is a solid product and a good router."
"The most valuable feature of the Cisco Cloud Services Router is it can make your migrations smooth. For example, if you want to migrate to the cloud, but you don't want to change the IP. You can extend your VLAN from on-premise to the cloud without having to change the IP."
"It provides peace of mind because it is a stable product that you aren't going to lose sleep over at night wondering if it will be running or not."
"Overall, it works really well and does not have any large bugs or issues with it."
"The bandwidth and throughput are pretty good."
"It is definitely scalable. It can handle a lot more traffic and group work compared to any other products that I've evaluated. It could easily scale a lot more than what I'm doing right now."
"The most important feature is that it is designed for mobile vehicle communication in harsh conditions."
"They are very well suited for small and medium businesses, and here in Tanzania, in some cases, even some large enterprises are using MikroTik due to the fact that they provide many features at zero cost."
"This solution has improved a great deal over time and in many domains."
"The solution works very well for us; the performance has been good and it's been stable for now."
"The simplicity of how one can set it up is the most valuable aspect."
"The main reason why MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is usually chosen is its raw performance to price ratio."
"The technical support for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch is superb."
"The GUI is easy to use."
"I think that Mikrotik is the best solution for SOHO and small businesses because the price is very good and it includes a lot of features."
 

Cons

"A CAPEX/OPEX model, where the pricing model is subscription-based, would give much better flexibility for the customers. The pricing and model for Cisco Cloud Services Router and other Cisco products could be improved."
"There should be a system in place to help existing users make an easier transition to the newer interfaces."
"It is too complex. It is not easy to set up, even with the documentation that they provided. It is a little confusing."
"The ease of use within the AWS environment needs to improve. Sometimes, it is very esoteric in how you use it. Therefore, you have to learn to use it, then you are able to."
"The initial setup is easy for one device but is more complex when numerous devices need to be configured."
"This solution is kind of expensive."
"If you lose connectivity to the cloud, it is difficult to establish connectivity between the hub and spoke."
"Cisco Cloud Services Router could improve the GUI."
"Technical support is not very good. It isn't comprehensive."
"While some customers use MikroTik Cloud Router Switch as a firewall, it's not at an industry-level, though the basic features are adequate for many users who prefer it over purchasing other reputed firewall solutions."
"It can be difficult to identify key functions for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch. I experience functionality limitations, particularly when trying to find specific features."
"The solution does not yet offer a SaaS version."
"MikroTik has a three to five year maximum lifespan."
"Aspects such as zero trust, security, and management interface could be improved, which would be useful."
"The bulk efficiencies and the control of traffic could be a bit better."
"Stuff that I'd like to be improved is really just training and documentation because I think the feature set is full. Another improvement I'd suggest is that their new, bigger releases should be a bit more stable."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Purchasing through the AWS Marketplace was easy; click a button and you have it."
"The pricing is good for what it offers."
"Cisco Cloud Services Router is an expensive product. My company pays for the product yearly, and the price reaches roughly $800,000. Though Cisco Cloud Services Router is expensive and its competitors offer better pricing, when it comes to support, it's unbeatable."
"You do need to pay a licensing fee to use the solution. You can do a yearly or three-year subscription. The product itself is quite expensive. It would be ideal if they offered the product at a cheaper price."
"This solution is kind of expensive."
"The product is too expensive on the AWS Marketplace."
"Purchasing the product on the AWS Marketplace was very simplistic. Our organization was trying to centralize our billing costs, and simplicity was best."
"The pricing is fine, though it might have been cheaper going through a partner or doing a direct buy."
"This product has a one-time cost and there is no licensing fee."
"I consider it to be a cost-effective solution."
"The price of the solution is fair and there is a one-time license purchase only."
"MikroTik is really cheap compared to the competitors."
"I believe the price of the tool is high, but it is okay for the services we get from it."
"The licensing for MikroTik is great. It's easy to enter, especially for small businesses. Their model is great."
"The price is competitive."
"In Pakistan, if you buy this cloud router, it's approximately $700 for the device."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
11%
Construction Company
11%
Performing Arts
9%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
14%
Educational Organization
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Marketing Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise10
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise2
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What needs improvement with MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?
It can be difficult to identify key functions for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch. I experience functionality limitations, particularly when trying to find specific features. It would be beneficial to...
What is your primary use case for MikroTik Cloud Router Switch?
I mostly work with network equipment now, focusing mainly on routers. I work with FortiGates and MikroTik routers. When referring to FortiGate routers, I mean the firewalls, but not the enterprise-...
 

Also Known As

Cisco CSR, Cisco Cloud Services Router 1000v, Cisco CSR 1000v
MikroTik CRS Series
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Under Armour, HealthSparq, Adobe
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Cloud Services Router vs. MikroTik Cloud Router Switch and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
908,834 professionals have used our research since 2012.